The Broadway Musical Blog – Musical theater news and gossip from the Great White Way
Dishing out daily (or almost daily) Broadway musical news and gossip. The companion site to The Broadway Musical Home (broadwaymusicalhome.com), a directory of Broadway musicals with the story, songs, merchandise, video clips, lyrics, tickets, rights & awards for almost 200 shows.Archive for What do you think?
Producers Take Note: The Revivals People Want and Who to Cast
The people of Twitter and Facebook have spoken; here are the shows they think should be revived and the stars that should headline each, listed in no particular order.
- Sunset Boulevard starring Sutton Foster, Hunter Parrish, Glenn Close, Joel Grey, Bernadette Peters, Neil Partick Harris, Norbert Leo Butz, Carol Burnett, Angela Lansbury, Doris Day, Tyne Daily or Josh Young
- Once Upon a Mattress starring Megan Hilty
- Gypsy starring Sutton Foster
- Grand Hotel
- Pippin starring Neil Patrick Harris, Naya Rivera, Gavin Creel or Traci Thoms
- Mame starring Carol Burnett, Vera Charles, Lily Tomlin, Megan Mallally or Sutton Foster
- Dreamgirls starring Patina Miller, Da’vine, Joy Randolph, Montego Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Queen Latifah, LaChanze or Beyonce
- Les Miserables starring Lea Salonga
- Bombay Dreams
- Aida starring Adam Pascal and Heather Headley
- Jesus Christ Superstar starring Adam Pascal
- Beauty and the Beast starring Clémence Poésy
- The Music Man starring Jeremy Jordan
- Assassins starring Tatum Channing
- Grease starring Justin Bieber or Sam Harris
- Hello Dolly starring Patty Lupone, Bernadette Peters, Bette Midler, Danny Divito or Harvey Fierstein
- Thoroughly Modern Millie
- Sweet Charity starring Sutton Foster
- Cats starring Ryan Steele
- Lestat
- Into the Woods starring Bernadette Peters
- My Fair Lady starring Angela Lansbury
- Funny Girl starring Sutton Foster or Lea Michele
- Pirates of Penzance
- Side Show starring Laura Osnes and Cassie Levy
- Sweeny Todd starring Christian Borle and Sutton Foster
- The Rocky Horror Show
- Miss Saigon starring Lea Salonga
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
- Ghost starring Sutton Foster and Richard Fleeshman
- Carousel starring anyone but Taylor Swift
Is a show or star missing from this list? Add it in the comments below!
The 2012 Drama League Award Winners
The Drama League Awards, the only major theatergoer awards chosen by audience members, have been announced and Once, Follies, Audra McDonald, and Alan Menken took home the big prizes for musical theatre. Each of them also won the Outer Critics Circle Award in their respective categories. Will they get the Tony nod as well?
DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Ghost the Musical
Leap of Faith
Mission Drift
Newsies
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Once
Queen of the Mist
DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Carrie
Follies
Evita
The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess
Jesus Christ Superstar
DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
Clybourne Park
The Columnist
The Intelligent Homosexuals Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
The Lyons
One Man, Two Guvnors
Other Desert Cities
Peter and the Starcatcher
Tribes
Seminar
Septimus and Clarissa
Venus in Fur
DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A PLAY
And God Created Great Whales
Death of a Salesman
Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
How I Learned to Drive
Look Back in Anger
The Maids
Wit
DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD
Jane Alexander, The Lady From Dubuque
Nina Arianda, Venus In Fur
Annaleigh Ashford, Rent
Angela Bassett, The Mountaintop
Simon Russell Beale, Bluebird
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Matthew Broderick, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Kim Cattrall, Private Lives
Heather Christian, Mission Drift
James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Michael Cristofer, The Intelligent Homosexuals Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
Tyne Daly, Master Class
Jesse Eisenberg, Asuncion
Linda Emond, The Intelligent Homosexuals Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
Raúl Esparza, Leap of Faith
Santino Fontana, Sons of the Prophet
Andrew Garfield, Death of a Salesman
Russell Harvard, Tribes
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman
Samuel L. Jackson, The Mountaintop
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde
Steve Kazee, Once
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher
Christine Lahti, Dreams of Flying, Dreams of Falling
Angela Lansbury, Gore Vidals The Best Man
John Larroquette, Gore Vidals The Best Man
Linda Lavin, The Lyons
Norm Lewis, The Gershwins Porgy and Bess
Judith Light, Other Desert Cities
Ricky Martin,Evita
Jan Maxwell, Follies
Jefferson Mays, Blood and Gifts
Marin Mazzie, Carrie
Audra McDonald, The Gershwins Porgy and Bess
Ellen McLaughlin, Septimus and Clarissa
Cristin Milioti, Once
Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Carey Mulligan, Through A Glass Darkly
Cynthia Nixon, Wit
Leslie Odom, Jr., Leap of Faith
Kelli OHara, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Denis OHare, An Iliad
Lily Rabe, Seminar
DaVine Joy Randolph, Ghost the Musical
Molly Ransom, Carrie
Condola Rashad, Stick Fly
Matthew Rhys, Look Back In Anger
Alan Rickman, Seminar
Elena Roger, Evita
Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park
Kevin Spacey, Richard III
Stephen Spinella, An Iliad
Mary Testa, Queen of the Mist
Blair Underwood, A Streetcar Named Desire
Mary Louise Wilson, 4,000 Miles
PREVIOUS DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE WINNERS
The Drama League also wishes to recognize the superb contributions to the season of its previous Distinguished Performance Award winners:
Norbert Leo Butz, How I Learned To Drive
Zoe Caldwell, Elective Affinities
Kathleen Chalfant, Painting Churches
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Rosemary Harris, The Road To Mecca
Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway
Sir Derek Jacobi, King Lear
James Earl Jones, Gore Vidals The Best Man
Frank Langella, Man and Boy
John Lithgow, The Columnist
Patti LuPone, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin
Bebe Neuwirth, A Midsummer Nights Dream
Bernadette Peters, Follies
Sam Waterston, King Lear
DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL THEATRE
Alan Menken
UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATRE
Rosie ODonnell
FOUNDERS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING
Diane Paulus
A look at the musicals eyeing 2012-13 Broadway runs…
Now that this season is officially over, we thought it worth taking a look at the shows who have announced Broadway runs for the 2012-13 season.
First up is an adaptation of Bring It On with music by Tom Kit of Next to Normal and Lin-Manuel Miranda of In the Heights. This show has been touring the country after opening to so-so reviews in Los Angeles, making changes in preparation for its Broadway run. Likened to Lysistrata Jones, which only enjoyed a limited run on Broadway and Legally Blonde, a film adaptation that lived a much longer Broadway life, the show is hoping to avoid the pitfalls other recent film adaptations, like Leap of Faith, have seen. Can the stage version find more depth than the silly film it was based on? We’ll just have to wait and see…
And then we have Ever After, another film adaptation with book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich, who you might know because of the songs “Taylor the Latte Boy,” made famous by Kristin Chenoweth, and “Alto’s Lament,” a song about an alto who longs to sing the melody. The musical was first set to open in San Francisco in 2009, but was indefinitely postponed for undisclosed reasons. It’s now set to hit Broadway in the 2012-13 season, directed by Kathleen Marshall, who’s got three Tony Awards and two Drama Desk Awards in her den and nominations for direction and choreography for this season’s Nice Work if You Can Get It. Think the talent be enough to turn the movie into a solid musical? And will it be too similar to another show eyeing a Broadway run…
Cinderella, by Rodgers and Hammerstein, which was originally telecast in 1957 starring Julie Andrews, but never enjoyed a Broadway run, is getting a rewrite by Douglas Carter Beane of Xanadu and headed to Broadway next spring. Starring Laura Osnes, nominated for her portrayal of Bonnie in this season’s Bonnie & Clyde, the show has blockbuster promise. Will it play as well on stage as it did on television? We can only hope.
And then there’s a brand new musical – Chaplin – based on the silent film star adored and emulated by so many. Directed by Warren Carlyle, who was nominated for Drama Desk Awards for his direction of Finian’s Rainbow in 2009 and written by Christopher Curtis, a pianist who wrote the theme song to the film “The Break,” and Thomas Meehan, the Tony Award-winner who penned The Producers, Annie and Hairspray, many are excited to see something new on the menu of offerings.
One of Meehan’s best known hits, Annie, is also headed back to the Great White Way. The show’s original run in 1997 enjoyed an incredible 2,377 performances, will the new revival, directed by James Lapine of Into the Woods, Passion and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, do even better?
Another revival of a big hit is headed to Broadway. The Mystery of Edwin Drood, whose original run won five Tony Awards and had a cast starring Betty Buckley and featuring George Rose, Cleo Laine, John Herrera, Howard McGillin, Patti Cohenour, Jana Schneider, who were all nominated for 1986 Tony Awards for their performances, as well as Donna Murphy, Judy Kuhn and Rob Marshall who would all go on to celebrated careers in the theatre. This will be the show’s first Broadway revival and fans couldn’t be more thrilled to see if return. Chita Rivera is set to star and Scott Ellis to direct.
The final musical on the docket as of this writing is an international transfer of Rebecca, which premiered in Vienna, Austria in 2006 and ran for three years and has since been mounted in Finland, Japan and elsewhere. Set to hit Broadway in the fall of 2012 starring Karen Mason, Howard McGillin, James Barbour, Donna English, Nick Wyman, Henry Stram and co-directed by Michael Blakemore and Francesca Zambello, the story made famous by Alfred Hitchcock’s film has played very well to audiences elsewhere. What will Americans make of it?
An exciting mix of revivals, new works and adaptations await us in 2012-13 and more shows will be announced soon. What are you most excited about seeing next season?
Check out the new Broadway Musical Home!
I’ve been extremely busy updating the look and content of The Broadway Musical Home so get over there and check it out now!
Featuring fun new artwork commissioned especially for the site (can you name all the characters/shows pictured in the banner?) plus information about every Broadway mounting of each show (not just the premiere), video and music clips, info about the Broadway theaters themselves, interactive features (like a star rating system, discussion space and social media connections) as well as oodles of other good stuff … our sister site has transformed into something truly wonderful.
Check it out! Bookmark it! Tell your friends!
A Big Broadway News Roundup
Next to Normal Looking to Launch a National Tour
Brian Yorkey, the book writer and lyricist for Broadway’s Next to Normal, told Playbill.com, “A tour is in the works. David Stone’s at work putting it together. I think it will launch later this year, in the fall or winter.” In addition to a national tour here in the US, there is also apparently a group working on translating the show for a Scandinavian production.
Chicago Now Broadway’s 6th Longest Running Show
On Jan. 12, the Tony Award-winning revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s Chicago played its 5,462nd performance and became the sixth longest-running production in Broadway history, surpassing Beauty and the Beast, which previously held that position.
Finian’s Rainbow Cast Album Available Feb 2
The critically acclaimed revival of Finian’s Rainbow that just closed its doors on Broadway did have the chance to visit a recording studio before the death knells rang – capturing the beautiful voices of Kate Baldwin and Cheyenne Jackson singing some of the best songs in the Broadway musical cannon. Listen to a sample. The album is available for pre-order now.
Hair holding open casting
With nearly all of the original Broadway cast of Hair off to perform in the west-end transfer, producers are looking to cast a new group of Broadway hopefuls. Open auditions will take place from 10 AM-6 PM at the Public Theater on January 21. Actors are asked to prepare 16 bars of an up-tempo pop or rock song (with sheet music), and to bring a headshot and a resume.
Billy Elliot has Recouped its Investment
Producers of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Billy Elliot have announced that it has recouped its $18 million investment. The national tour of the show is set to launch in Chicago on March 18.
La Cage Aux Folles Artwork Revealed
Our Twitter and Facebook followers have had mixed opinions about it. What do you think?
An Obama Musical?
Yes. A company in Germany has created a show based on Obama’s rise to the Presidency. The title: HOPE. The video speaks for itself:
Casting changes
In the Heights
Janet Dacal (who originated Carla) and newcomer David Del Rio will be replacing Mandy Gonzalez (the current Nina) and Robin De Jesus (the current Sonny) when they leave Broadway’s In The Heights next month.
Wicked
Andy Karl (9 to 5, Legally Blonde) will join the Broadway cast of Wicked beginning Feb. 2, succeeding Kevin Kern in the role of Fiyero. Katie Rose Clarke and Jenny Fellner stepped into the roles of Glinda and Nessarose, respectively, on Jan. 14.
Chicago
Former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams (Aida) will replace Ashlee Simpson as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s Chicago beginning February 8.
South Pacific
On January 5, Laura Osnes (Grease, Bonnie & Clyde) returned to Broadway’s South Pacific taking over the role of Nellie Forbush from Kelli O’Hara.
Coming soon…
Zorba
The New York Post is reporting that Antonio Banderas (Nine) will be playing the title role in a Broadway production of the John Kander & Fred Ebb musical Zorba, to be directed by Gary Griffin (The Color Purple) and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys).
Monsoon Wedding
Mira Nair is working on a stage version of her film Monsoon Wedding hoping to make its Broadway debut a year from now. The show, co-written by Mira Nair and Sabrina Dhawan with music by Vishal Bharadwaj and choreography by Bill T. Jones, will combine circus acrobatics, aerial acting, theatre, music and dance.
Glee – Golden Globe, 2nd Season, Open Casting
The TV show Glee , which has featured show tunes and many Broadway actors, including Matthew Morrison (Hairspray, Light in the Piazza) and Lea Michele (Spring Awakening), took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical) and was picked up for a second season on Fox. Fans will be excited to hear that producers have announced casting for both professionals and amateurs ranging from ages 16-26. Are you enough of a gleek to make the show?
Delays…
All About Me
Previews for All About Me, the Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna show, will begin Feb. 22, three days later than originally announced.
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Also delayed, not so surprisingly, was Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The show, which producers had vehemently assured patrons would begin previews on Feb 25, will now be open sometime in 2010 – no specific dates have yet been announced.
Broadway on TV!
John Tartaglia (Shrek, Avenue Q) will appear on the February 3rd episode of Ugly Betty.
Catherine Zeta-Jones (A Little Night Music) will guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on Jan. 22.
Broadway Impact for Marriage Equality
Gavin Creel and his organization, Broadway Impact, brought together a large group of Broadway actors, directors, stage managers, fans, and producers to march on Washington for gay equality this past Sunday.
It was amazing event marked by performances/speeches by the cast of Broadway’s Hair, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, David Hyde Pierce, Douglas Carter Beane, Cheyenne Jackson, Speaker Christine Quinn and Governor Paterson – whose proposed bill to grant same-sex couples the equal right to marry in New York prompted Creel to organize.
Here’s the Hair tribe performing at the event:
Did anyone who follows the blog make it to Washington?
In honor of #theatrethursday, your list of the top 50 Broadway musicals of all time
We asked and you responded. Here’s a list of your all time favorite Broadway musicals, in no particular order:
- Les Miserables
- Rent
- The King and I
- Sunday in the Park with George
- Wicked
- Guys and Dolls
- Sweeney Todd
- Ragtime
- West Side Story
- In the Heights
- Phantom of the Opera
- Into the Woods
- Next to Normal
- Cats
- Parade
- Company
- Chess
- A Chorus Line
- Man of La Mancha
- Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
- Rocky Horror Show
- The Music Man
- My Fair Lady
- Mame
- Jersey Boys
- The Last Five Years (technically off-Broadway, but enough of you voted for it that I had to include it)
- Candide
- The Drowsy Chaperone
- The Sound of Music
- Spring Awakening
- Little Shop of Horrors
- The Wiz
- Miss Saigon
- Hair
- Billy Elliot
- Gypsy
- Assassins
- Rock of Ages
- Hello Dolly!
- Cabaret
- The Lion King
- Hairspray
- Grease
- Avenue Q
- South Pacific
- Evita
- The Producers
- Pippin
- Chicago
- Dreamgirls
Is your favorite not on the list? Add it in the comments below!
Do you follow us? Are you a fan?
Not everything makes it onto the blog. For a number of smaller bits of gossip and news, 140 characters seems like more than enough … plus sometimes it’s just more fun to gossip in real time.
To ensure you’re getting all the juicy tidbits, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@broadwaymusical) or Facebook (facebook.com/broadwaymusical).
Some recent pieces of news that have only been tweeted/posted:
GOSSIP: Cheech and Chong are seriously “discussing a Broadway musical.” What do you think they should name the show?
Artem Chigvintsev, a first season finalist on “So You Think You Can Dance,” joins the Broadway cast of Burn the Floor tonight!
If you’re a Broadway/Musical fan, check out this station! http://is.gd/2AjLB
Wow. If you’re ever stuck trying to figure out what show a song is from, go to midomi.com and sing it. They’ve got most Bway songs on there!
Plus, you can join in the conversation, answering questions like:
If you could meet any Broadway star, past or present, living or dead, who would it be? What would you do or say?
Alright, spill … what’s the worst musical you’ve ever seen?
What’s your absolute favorite cast album?
If you were given an unlimited budget and total freedom – what Broadway musical would you do and who would you cast?
Norbert Leo Butz’ Sister Murdered in Possible Hate Crime
Norbert Leo Butz’ sister, Teresa Butz, was killed and her partner severely wounded early Sunday by a man who attacked them as they slept in their home. A detective has confirmed that Teresa sacrificed herself to save her fiancée’s life during the attack. The murder is being investigated as a possible hate crime and the murderer is still at large, though police remain confident of apprehending her killer.
Norbert Leo Butz has been out of town working on the Broadway-bound Catch Me If You Can at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. The production cancelled its preview performances in deference to his family emergency.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Butz family and to Miss Butz’ fiancée.
Psst…Video previews of Catch Me if You Can, the musical
Found some footage of the new Catch Me if You Can musical on youtube and just had to share!
Aaron Tveit as Frank Abagnale, Jr
Norbert Leo Butz as Carl Hanrady
What do you think?
